Local politicians are urging the region’s population to get their pens out and take a moment to lobby for changes to the Employment Insurance system as far as way it defines its regions.
The situation of concern involves the lumping together of the hot economies of the Northeast and Central Interior, with the less active one in the Northwest, a situation that is causing problems for residents of the Northwest when it comes to putting in a claim for Employment Insurance benefits. With those two hot areas booming at the moment, the increased number of hours to 630 for EI benefits is causing a genuine hardship for those living in the Northwest and working in the seasonal industries.
It also is resulting in a bit of statistical hocus pocus, which shows a declining unemployment rate but actually only reflects the high number of people that have left the region to look for work, or neglects to show those that don’t qualify for EI and thus fall off the radar.
The Daily News provided the background on the situation in Tuesday’s paper.
POWER OF THE PEN DIRECTED AT EI
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Page one
The City of Prince Rupert will ask other communities in the region to use their collective voices to help bring dignity back to the Employment Insurance system.
At the council meeting two weeks ago, councilors agreed to write their neighbours in the Northwest asking them to urge the Commissioners of Employment Insurance to separate the Northwest from its current region, a region that includes the booming coal fields of the Northeast.
Coun. Joy Thorkelson said that during the city’s meeting with Trish Blackstaffe, one of the country’s three EI commissioners, the city was informed that other areas of the country have been designated as separate regions after the lobbying efforts of about 500 letter writers.
“It was a real coup to have Commissioner Blackstaffe visit and it was because of the noise we have been making,” said Thorkelson. “She said we only have 499 more letters to write and we should get busy and write them.”
Despite having a much different labour market than B. C.’s Interior (which is booming because of the pine beetle epidemic) and the Northeast (which is booming because of coal and oil), the Northwest is lumped in with these two regions when it comes to determining the number of hours required to qualify for Employment Insurance.
The employment levels in other areas have resulted in an increase in the number of hours required from 420 to 630, a number that is extremely difficult for those in the seasonal industries such as fishing, logging and tourism, she said.
“In the North Coast Nechako region, our unemployment rate has been dropping, not necessarily because the number of people we have that are unemployed is dropping but because of how the statistics are put together,” she said. “The numbers have been dropping mostly because of the number of people leaving our region to find jobs elsewhere,”
In this sub area, the population was 72,000 in 2003. By March of 2007 this was down to 66,400.
Despite the appearance that the level of unemployment is dropping, there are now fewer people employed than in 2003. In November 2003, there were 44,900 people employed in the sub region and in March 2007 that number was 41,000.
In addition to continuing their efforts to lobby the federal government to pass new legislation that lowers the number of hours required to qualify for Employment Insurance, council agreed to write their neighbours, both municipal and First Nations, and ask them to write the Employment Insurance Commission about separating the sub region from its counter parts in order to establish a fairer rate to access Employment Insurance.
“There’s $53 billion of our money that has been taken from our and my employment insurance deductions where collections have exceeded expenditures and been used to pay down the debt,” said Thorkelson.
“I believe, as everybody else does, our community will see jobs and a brighter future and seasonal industries can be made more year-round… but until we do so, we can’t forget many of our residents – whether we have a port or not – are still seasonal workers . We have to ensure people have a back-up plan,” she said.
The situation of concern involves the lumping together of the hot economies of the Northeast and Central Interior, with the less active one in the Northwest, a situation that is causing problems for residents of the Northwest when it comes to putting in a claim for Employment Insurance benefits. With those two hot areas booming at the moment, the increased number of hours to 630 for EI benefits is causing a genuine hardship for those living in the Northwest and working in the seasonal industries.
It also is resulting in a bit of statistical hocus pocus, which shows a declining unemployment rate but actually only reflects the high number of people that have left the region to look for work, or neglects to show those that don’t qualify for EI and thus fall off the radar.
The Daily News provided the background on the situation in Tuesday’s paper.
POWER OF THE PEN DIRECTED AT EI
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Page one
The City of Prince Rupert will ask other communities in the region to use their collective voices to help bring dignity back to the Employment Insurance system.
At the council meeting two weeks ago, councilors agreed to write their neighbours in the Northwest asking them to urge the Commissioners of Employment Insurance to separate the Northwest from its current region, a region that includes the booming coal fields of the Northeast.
Coun. Joy Thorkelson said that during the city’s meeting with Trish Blackstaffe, one of the country’s three EI commissioners, the city was informed that other areas of the country have been designated as separate regions after the lobbying efforts of about 500 letter writers.
“It was a real coup to have Commissioner Blackstaffe visit and it was because of the noise we have been making,” said Thorkelson. “She said we only have 499 more letters to write and we should get busy and write them.”
Despite having a much different labour market than B. C.’s Interior (which is booming because of the pine beetle epidemic) and the Northeast (which is booming because of coal and oil), the Northwest is lumped in with these two regions when it comes to determining the number of hours required to qualify for Employment Insurance.
The employment levels in other areas have resulted in an increase in the number of hours required from 420 to 630, a number that is extremely difficult for those in the seasonal industries such as fishing, logging and tourism, she said.
“In the North Coast Nechako region, our unemployment rate has been dropping, not necessarily because the number of people we have that are unemployed is dropping but because of how the statistics are put together,” she said. “The numbers have been dropping mostly because of the number of people leaving our region to find jobs elsewhere,”
In this sub area, the population was 72,000 in 2003. By March of 2007 this was down to 66,400.
Despite the appearance that the level of unemployment is dropping, there are now fewer people employed than in 2003. In November 2003, there were 44,900 people employed in the sub region and in March 2007 that number was 41,000.
In addition to continuing their efforts to lobby the federal government to pass new legislation that lowers the number of hours required to qualify for Employment Insurance, council agreed to write their neighbours, both municipal and First Nations, and ask them to write the Employment Insurance Commission about separating the sub region from its counter parts in order to establish a fairer rate to access Employment Insurance.
“There’s $53 billion of our money that has been taken from our and my employment insurance deductions where collections have exceeded expenditures and been used to pay down the debt,” said Thorkelson.
“I believe, as everybody else does, our community will see jobs and a brighter future and seasonal industries can be made more year-round… but until we do so, we can’t forget many of our residents – whether we have a port or not – are still seasonal workers . We have to ensure people have a back-up plan,” she said.
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